1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a supporting structure for an electronic pad of a percussion instrument.
The present application claims priority on Japanese Patent Application No. 2013-51841, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, percussion instruments including as electronic cymbals or electronic high-hat cymbals are equipped with electronic pads serving as electronic cymbals instead of acoustic cymbals. Impact sensors are installed in electronic pads so as to detect impacts applied to electronic pads, thus generating electric signals which are used to generate musical sounds. When excessive rotational displacements unexpectedly occur in electronic pads, wiring cords may be caught by some parts of percussion instruments, or striking positions of electronic pads may be significantly deviated from the positions of impact sensors, thus degrading detection precisions of impact sensors. For this reason, engineers have devised supporting structures including rotary stopper mechanisms for electronic pads of percussion instruments.
Patent Literature Document 1 (PLT 1) discloses an electronic pad of a percussion instrument with a rotation stop hole and a rotation stop pin arranged in the support section of a high-hat pad body. Patent Literature Document 2 (PLT 2) discloses a holder for a percussion musical instrument with a rotation-preventing assembly which is used to prevent rotation of a percussion musical instrument such as a cymbal.
In the supporting structure of PLT 1, an engaging member such as a pin which is arranged in the support section of a pad body is engaged with an engaged part such as a hole which is formed in a pad body, thus regulating a rocking range of a pad body. A gap is formed between the engaging member and the engaged part to secure an adequate rocking range. This gap serving as a play allows a pad body to rotate in a rotating direction.
In the supporting structure of PLT 1, it is possible to regulate the rotation range within a certain range of play as long as a rotary force applied to a pad body falls within a certain range of force during performance of a percussion instrument. When an excessive rotary force is applied to a pad body, an excessive load may be applied to either the fitting member or the fitted part, thus causing a failure or damage in a percussion instrument. To prevent a failure or damage occurring in a percussion instrument, it is necessary to implement any measures, for example, in which engagement-related parts are made of highly-rigid materials such as metals; but this may increase the overall weight of a percussion instrument or the manufacturing cost thereof.
During performance of an electronic pad with a stick, a player (or a user) may not always swing a stick down towards a pad body in a vertical direction but may swing a stick in a slanted direction or a horizontal direction. This playing technique may cause a pad body to excessively rotate with a relatively large angle. The electronic pad of PLT 1 is equipped with the supporting structure which suddenly stops rotation of a pad body at a rotation-regulated position; this may cause unnatural movement of a pad body, or a player may feel discomfort in striking a pad body with a stick. Additionally, it is necessary to consider rotary forces which may be applied to pad bodies during manufacturing and adjustments of percussion instruments in addition to rotary forces which are applied to pad bodies during performance of percussion instruments.